Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
p. 14146. Always remember the saying of Heraclitus, that the death of earth is to become water, and the death of water is to become air, and the death of air is to become fire, and reversely.
And think too of him who forgets whither the way leads, and that men quarrel with that with which they are most constantly in communion, the reason which governs the universe ; and the things which they daily meet with seem to them strange : and consider that we ought not to act and speak as if we were asleep, for even in sleep we seem to act and speak ; and that f we ought not, like children who learn from their parents, simply to act and speak as we have been taught.f 47.
If any god told thee that thou shalt die tomorrow, or certainly on the day after to-morrow, thou wouldst not care much whether it was on the third day or on the morrow, unless thou wast in the highest degree mean-spirited ; for how small is the difference. So think it no great thing to die after as many years as thou canst name rather than to-morrow. 48.
Think continually how many physicians are dead after often contracting their eyebrows over the sick ; and how many astrologers after predicting with great pretensions the deaths of others ; and how many philosophers after endless discourses on death or immortality ; how many heroes after killing thousands ; and how many tyrants who have p. 142used their power over men's lives with terrible insolence, as if they were immortal ; and how manycities are entirely dead, so to speak, Helice 1 and Pompeii and Herculanum, and others innumerable. Add to the reckoning all whom thou hast known, one after another. One man after burying another has been laid out dead, and another buries him ; and all this in a short time.
To conclude, always observe how ephemeral and worthless human things are, and what was yesterday a little mucus, tomorrow will be a mummy or ashes. Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew. 49.
Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it. Unhappy am I because this has happened to me ? Not so, but happy am I, though this has happened to me, because I continue free from pain, neither crushed by the present nor fearing the future.
For such a thing as this might have happened to every man ; but every man would not have continued free from pain on such an occasion. Why 1 Ovid, Met. xv. 293 : — " Si quaeras Helicen et Burin Achaidas urbes, Invenies sub aquis."
p. 143then is that rather a misfortune than this a good fortune ? And dost thou in all cases call that a man's misfortune which is not a deviation from man's nature ? And does a thing seem to thee to be a deviation from man's nature, when it is not contrary to the will of man's nature ? Well, thou knowest the will of nature.
Will then this which has happened prevent thee from being just, magnanimous, temperate, prudent, secure against inconsiderate opinions and falsehood ; will it prevent thee from having modesty, freedom, and everything else, by the presence of which man's nature obtains all that is its own ? Remember too on every occasion which leads thee to vexation to apply this principle : not that this is a misfortune, but that to bear it nobly is good fortune.
50. It is a vulgar, but still a useful help towards contempt of death, to pass in review those who have tenaciously stuck to life. What more then have they gained than those who have died early? Certainly they lie in their tombs somewhere at last^ Cadicianus, Fabius, Julianus, Lepidus, or any one else like them, who have carried out many to be buried, and then were carried out themselves.
Altogether the interval is small [between birth and death] ; and consider with how much trouble, and in company with what sort of people, and in what a feeble body this interval is laboriously passed. Do not then consider life a thing of any value.f
MABCUS AUBELIUS ANTONINUS. 141 46. Always remember the saying of Heraclitus, that the death of earth is to become water, and the death of water is to become air, and the death of air is to become fire, and reversely. And think too of him who forgets whither the way leads, and that men quarrel with that with which they are most constantly in communion, the reason which governs the universe ; and the things which they daily meet with seem to them strange : and consider that we ought not to act and speak as if we were asleep, for even in sleep we seem to act and speak ; and that f we ought not, like children who learn from their parents, simply to act and speak as we have been taught.f 47. If any god told you that you shall die tomorrow, or certainly on the day after to-morrow, you would not care much whether it was on the third day or on the morrow, unless you were in the highest degree mean-spirited ; for how small is the difference. So think it no great thing to die after as many years as you can name rather than to-morrow. 48. Think continually how many physicians are dead after often contracting their eyebrows over the sick ; and how many astrologers after predicting with great pretensions the deaths of others ; and how many philosophers after endless discourses on death or immortality ; how many heroes after killing thousands ; and how many tyrants who have 142 MEDITATIONS. used their power over men's lives with terrible insolence, as if they were immortal ; and how manycities are entirely dead, so to speak, Helice 1 and Pompeii and Herculanum, and others innumerable. Add to the reckoning all whom you have known, one after another. One man after burying another has been laid out dead, and another buries him ; and all this in a short time. To conclude, always observe how ephemeral and worthless human things are, and what was yesterday a little mucus, tomorrow will be a mummy or ashes. Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end your journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew. 49. Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it. Unhappy am I because this has happened to me ? Not so, but happy am I, though this has happened to me, because I continue free from pain, neither crushed by the present nor fearing the future. For such a thing as this might have happened to every man ; but every man would not have continued free from pain on such an occasion. Why 1 Ovid, Met. xv. 293 : — " Si quaeras Helicen et Burin Achaidas urbes, Invenies sub aquis."
MARCUS AUBELIUS ANTONINUS. 143 then is that rather a misfortune than this a good fortune ? And do you in all cases call that a man's misfortune which is not a deviation from man's nature ? And does a thing seem to you to be a deviation from man's nature, when it is not contrary to the will of man's nature ? Well, you know the will of nature. Will then this which has happened prevent you from being just, magnanimous, temperate, prudent, secure against inconsiderate opinions and falsehood ; will it prevent you from having modesty, freedom, and everything else, by the presence of which man's nature obtains all that is its own ? Remember too on every occasion which leads you to vexation to apply this principle : not that this is a misfortune, but that to bear it nobly is good fortune. 50. It is a vulgar, but still a useful help towards contempt of death, to pass in review those who have tenaciously stuck to life. What more then have they gained than those who have died early? Certainly they lie in their tombs somewhere at last^ Cadicianus, Fabius, Julianus, Lepidus, or any one else like them, who have carried out many to be buried, and then were carried out themselves. Altogether the interval is small [between birth and death] ; and consider with how much trouble, and in company with what sort of people, and in what a feeble body this interval is laboriously passed. Do not then consider life a thing of any value.f
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